


The Great Original Brilliant Successful Plan, cured by Aline Penhallow

by LittleTurtle95



Series: TEENAGERS, BEWARE [2]
Category: The Eldest Curses Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Awkward Alec Lightwood, Awkward Crush, Bad Flirting, Book 1: The Red Scrolls of Magic, F/F, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Pining, Protective Isabelle Lightwood, Protective Jace Wayland, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24769990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTurtle95/pseuds/LittleTurtle95
Summary: When the school counselor Aldertree gives Aline Penhallow a really offensive homophobic brochure during one of his talks, Alec is having none of it. Too bad Aline doesn't want him to report it, she only wants to use it for her plan to finally get Helen Blackthorn to notice her.Alec doesn't like the idea, but if he ends up doing the same to give a little push to his hopeless crush on Magnus Bane nobody needs to know.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Aline Penhallow, Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Helen Blackthorn/Aline Penhallow, Magnus Bane & Raphael Santiago, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: TEENAGERS, BEWARE [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1791370
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65





	The Great Original Brilliant Successful Plan, cured by Aline Penhallow

**Author's Note:**

> Book!verse, so if you haven't read the books you probably won't recognise some of the characters and you'll find the ones you know to be slightly ooc.
> 
> Red scrolls of magic High School AU - you'll find some literal book quotes in it as well.
> 
> T.W. underage drinking, referenced homophobia
> 
> Inspired by [this Tumblr prompt.](https://littleturtle95.tumblr.com/post/187856491144/please-somebody-turn-this-into-a-fic-but-instead)

“Aline, I’m so sorry. I really am, it’s just… you’re not alone, okay? _They_ are in the wrong here, not us. Not you. We have every right to-”

The girl was making a face, and not the face Alec was expecting. He was well aware he wasn’t so good with words – they had Jace for that – but the last thing he was expecting from Aline during his heartfelt speech was this confused frown.

“Alec, what are you talking about?”

The boy blinked a few times, mirroring her baffled face. 

“What am I talking about?” he asked, holding the sheet of paper in his hand and waving it in front of her nose. “I’m talking about _this,_ obviously.”

Alec really didn’t get why his cousin was looking at him like that, really. It was her that asked him to go to her place after school, because she had to show him something.

Aline wasn’t the kind of girl who asked for help without a really good reason, so he had agreed immediately, looking forward the end of the lessons.

He didn’t know what to expect, seriously, but out of all the things that he should have expected, the paper Aline showed him just now was the worst, without any doubt.

It was a list, a list the school counselor Aldertree gave her that morning, after he came for a visit because her grades were getting worse than usual. 

“Okay, I’ll admit this doesn’t look so great, but-”

“Doesn’t look so great? Doesn’t look so great?! The _school counselor_ gave you this! This is unacceptable!” Alec said, raising his voice. “You have to tell your mother. We have to tell the principal.”

She stole the list from his hands and lifted it, looking down at it for a moment, taking a deep breath. 

**_TEENAGERS, BEWARE OF THE “FRIEND” OF YOUR OWN SEX WHO:_ **

  1. _Is too “nice” to be true._
  2. _Wants to spend time with you alone._
  3. _Proposes that you be roommates and sleep in the same bed._
  4. _Writes you love notes as to a sweetheart._
  5. _Directs the conversation into intimate matters._
  6. _Wants to touch the private parts of your body._



**_THESE ARE SOME OF THE TRADEMARKS OF HOMOSEXUALITY_ **

“It’s okay, Alec-”

“This is far from okay, you don’t have to bare this because you don’t want them to feel bad, they _are_ bad, they _deserve_ to feel b-”

“ _Alexander Gideon Lightwood!_ ” she said, raising her voice as well. “For the love of Beyonce and everything that’s sacred, shut the fuck up for once!”

Alec stared at her, his blue eyes wide and his lips slightly parted. “I… I…”

“I know you’re trying to protect me, but I don’t need it. I’m not upset, I know this is bullshit. I didn’t ask you to come here to talk about how awful this is, I already know.”

“Why… why did you ask me, then?”

“Because I want you to help me!”

“Help you do what?”

“I want to understand if Helen likes me back. And I’m doing it following this list.”

Alec closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes again. “Aline,” he said, “this is the most stupid idea I’ve ever heard.”

“Why? It’s brilliant!”

“It’s so not! It’s the opposite of brilliant, this list is good only to throw it in the fireplace or to make an ugly paper boat out of it! If you want to know if Helen likes you back, you should just ask her!”

Aline scoffed. “Like you’re one to talk!”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“When did you ask Magnus Bane if he likes you? Oh, wait, it never happened!”

Alec felt his cheeks heat up and looked down at his feet. “It’s… it’s not like that. It’s… different. At least I’m not trying to win him with an homophobic pamphlet!”

“Yeah, you’re not trying to win him at all. You’re just sulking.”

“I don’t sulk!”

“You sulk so much Jace broke your last phone because you kept scrolling Magnus’ Instagram profile and he was scared you were going to like one of his older pics on accident and then jump off the window to end your suffering.”

Alec flinched. He remembered that day. 

_“Just forget about it.”_

_“You don’t eat, you don’t sleep, you stare at your phone, and I’m supposed to forget about it?” Jace asked, and Alec had felt so shocked knowing his brother noticed he was pining so hard that he didn’t get in time to stop Jace from snapping his phone in half._

_“You broke my phone,” he had said, staring at the shattered pieces in disbelief._

_“Guys don’t let guys pine like that over other guys,” he declared. “Okay, that came out wrong. Friends don’t let friends wasting their time sulking about someone if they don’t even want to ask them out.”_

_“So you broke my brand new phone? Thanks a lot.”_

_Jace had smiled serenely at that. “You’re welcome.”_

“It didn’t go exactly as you said,” Alec muttered, biting his lips and keeping his eyes down.

“Alec, you are the one I trust the most with this. I want to do this. Please, just help me and I promise I’ll do what I can to help you as well.”

The boy sighed. He didn’t like any of this. What counselor Aldertree did wasn’t fair. Maybe Aline wasn’t upset because of it, but Alec knew a lot of students would have been. 

But he really wanted to make a move with Magnus, it was clear he was useless at this without help, and maybe this was his train, he only had to take it.

“Deal. But however this is going to turn out, as soon as we’re done we’re reporting this shit.”

“Deal,” Aline grinned, and the pact was sealed.

The day after Alec woke up to the smell of pancakes. He stumbled with sleepy eyes to the kitchen, hoping he wasn’t going to find Isabelle – he would have needed a good excuse to refuse them and he didn’t want to think so hard in the morning – and sighed in relief as he spotted his brother’s golden locks behind the kitchen counter.

Jace turned to look at him with a frown. “Alec? Why are you awake so early?”

“I could ask you the same question,” he mumbled, taking a seat. He didn’t like to talk before breakfast. Not that he liked to talk much in general.

“I wanted to make pancakes, so I needed to be up earlier,” he explained. It made sense, they usually woke up just in time to drink a spoonful of milk with cereals and go to school. “Did you want to make pancakes as well? That would be a great coincidence.”

“No,” Alec said, sharply.

Jace sighed and turned back to his task. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“Just give me a breath, Jace! I just woke up early, that’s all!”

“Yeah, try again.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “It’s nothing.”

“Did Magnus miss his usual good night selfie on his Instagram stories yesterday night and you didn’t have anything to look at before sleep?”

“Jace, Oh my God-”

The kitchen’s door opening once again distracted them from the matter at hand.

“What do you want this time?” Izzy’s voice slurred, still sleepy. 

“What?” Jace asked, finally done with his pancakes, putting the pan in the sink. 

“Why are you making us breakfast? What do you want from us?”

Alec frowned. He was so busy thinking about what was going to happen at school, with Aline, Helen and Magnus that he didn’t notice how unusual was the fact his brother was cooking in the early hours of the morning.

“Can’t I just want to do something nice for my favourite siblings?”

“We are your only siblings,” Alec said, the words bitter in his mouth. It hasn’t always been like that.

“No, you can’t. Spill the tea,” Isabelle said, sitting next to him. 

Jace hesitated for a moment, then said “Today is friday.”

“Yes, we know,” Alec commented.

“Clary has a thing. His best friend’s band is playing tonight at Hunter’s Moon, she promised him she would have gone there, and asked me to join them.”

Alec rolled his eyes. Clary was Jace’s new girlfriend, he wasn’t really a fan of her. She went to another school, Jace met her the first time in a club a month earlier.

“No, Jace,” Izzy said, “we’re not coming with you to a lame concert of a lame band with the lame friend of your girl on Friday night.”

“Come on, Izzy!” Jace whined. “It’s not that you have something to do tonight!”

“Why do you want us to come anyway? Don’t you want to spend time alone with her? Her friend is gonna be on stage and you’ll have all the time in the world to play lovebirds,” Alec said.

“I’ve never met her friends before! I need backup to show them how awesome I am in case they won’t like me!”

Isabelle gasped. “Jonathan Christopher Lightwood-Herondale, are you really suggesting anyone could possibly _not_ like you? Who are you and what did you do to my brother?”

Jace rolled his eyes. “Of course they’re gonna like me,” he said. “It’s just that I really care this time, okay? I want to make a good impression.”

Alec looked at his brother; his cheeks were redder than usual, and he wasn’t looking at them in the eyes. He understood in that moment that Clary was really important to him, it wasn’t a fling like he suspected.

“They are going to love you, we both know that. Relax,” he said, and after that, everything went back to normal, Aline, Magnus and Helen long forgotten.

At least until Alec arrived at school and went straight to his English class. Because the first one he saw when he entered the classroom was him.

Magnus Bane was sitting at his desk, sharing his homework with his insufferable best friend, Raphael Santiago – someone Alec had fancied years earlier, but he wasn’t going to focus on that now – and didn’t even look up from his book as Alec got in, and Alec felt a stab in his chest as he looked at him, his stomach already churning. The second group he saw was the one with Helen Blackthorn and the infamous Leon Verlac, Helen’s best friend, who currently fancied Alec _a lot_. Leon was unfortunately staring directly at him and his face lit up as he saw Alec looking towards his direction.

 _Oh no,_ thought Alec. He wasn’t ready for Leon flirting, not now that Magnus was there. God forbid he thought he was taken. _Please, not now. Please._

Life listened to him and helped him through his cousin’s will.

“Alec!” Aline’s voice called, “come here!”

He felt a sudden sense of relief as he rushed to Aline’s desk.

Hearing his name yelled like that, Raphael Santiago looked up and glared at him. Alec found the guy genuinely threatening. Magnus’ gaze followed the one of his best friend and looked at him for a moment with an unreadable expression.

“Hey,” Alec said, taking a seat next to Aline and letting a sigh escape his lips, ignoring Magnus’ and Raphael’s looks.

“Hey,” she said, “so what?” 

“So what _what_?” Alec asked.

Aline glanced a side look vaguely towards Helen’s direction. “ _That_ what. You said you were going to help me. So what?”

“It’s your plan, not mine!” he scoffed, “what do you want me to do?”

“Okay, first of all, what the fuck are you wearing?”

Alec looked down at himself with a frown. “What do you mean? I’m wearing one of my usual sweaters.”

“Alec, this… _thing_ has holes in it.”

He looked at her and shrugged, not seeing any problem with that. “And…?”

“Come on!” Aline hissed. “How are we supposed to court them if you don’t want to make an effort?”

“I am not courting anyone, _you_ are courting He-”

“Aline, Alexander,” a voice Alec knew far too well said, and he sealed his lips shut.

He felt Aline’s elbow hit his side and finally looked up, to find none other than Magnus Bane looking charmingly at him and grinning widely. 

“Magnus,” Aline yelped, too high for Alec’s liking. “What a pleasure!”

“The pleasure is all mine, darling,” Magnus said to Aline, and _honest to God_ he _winked,_ and Alec thanked every deity ever worshipped on earth he was already sitting down because his knees went weak. “I just wanted to tell you today is my cat’s birthday…”

“Congratulations,” Alec blurted out, and his cheeks burned even warmer. He felt Aline stomping his foot under the desk. “I mean, congratulations for telling us. Well, congratulations for remembering, um…”

“Forgive him, he likes to joke around, ha ha ha,” Aline said, raising her voice. “ _Right_ , Alec?”

The boy nodded helplessly, and Magnus gave him a weak confused smile. Alec wished to just jump off the classroom’s window and die.

“As I was saying, today is my cat’s birthday, my father isn’t at home and I’m hosting a party. Consider yourself officially invited. Both of you,” he said, shrugging.

Magnus had something that made him look casually nonchalant, but at the same time attentive and caring, that always managed to fuck Alec up completely.

“Today?” Alec asked weakly. 

_Today is Friday. Clary has a thing. His best friend’s band is playing tonight at Hunter’s Moon, she promised him she would have gone there, and asked me to join them._

“Is there a problem?” Magnus asked.

“Not at all,” Aline commented quickly. “We’ll be there. We’ll even bring some friends if you want.”

Alec gave her a panicked look she chose to ignore. 

Magnus’ smile widened. He was beautiful, his smile was shining almost as his eyes, striped with a thin line of black eyeliner and a light shade of golden glitter. Magnus Bane liked to shine, and to Alec he looked brighter than the sun – especially when he smiled.

“Of course I want it. The more the merrier. I’ll expect you to be there at eight," he said, then their English teacher came in and Magnus quickly went back to his desk, Raphael raising his brows at him in annoyance.

Alec thought about Jace and Clary. He thought about the fact he didn’t want to be their third wheel, not today. He thought about the fact Jace wasn’t going to be alone, he was going to have Izzy. Then he thought about the most important thing: he _wanted_ to go to Magnus’ party. He wanted to see him that night.

“Oh my God,” he whispered, as the teacher started to speak. “Oh my God, I’m going to see his place.”

“Yes, you are,” Aline whispered, “and you’re going to do something for me too.”

“What do you want me to do?” Alec reluctantly asked. 

“You have to ask Leon to come tonight.”

Alec coughed abruptly and the teacher glared at him. He cleared his throat, his already burning cheeks redder than ever. “I have to _what_?”

“He has a soft spot for you, he’s going to say yes! And he’s Helen’s best friend, he’ll take her with him! Please, Alec! Please! I need her to be there tonight!” Aline whispered, low not to be heard by the teacher or any of the other students.

“He hasn’t a ‘ _soft spot_ ’ for me, Aline. He’s a total creep.”

“He’s Helen’s best friend, he can’t be a total creep. He’s just… _flamboyant._ ”

“ _Flamboyant_?” Alec asked. “The guy asked me out three times only this week!”

“I’m not asking to make out with him,” Aline said, “only to casually ask him to come to the party and then politely ghost him!”

“You can’t ghost someone politely,” Alec hissed, “and even if you could to someone random, you wouldn’t to Leon _life is short and I’m handsome and French_ Verlac.”

“Alec, please. This is a real emergency. And we already said we were going anyway.”

Alec sighed. He didn’t want to go with Jace and Izzy to Clary’s friend’s concert. He really didn’t. He looked at Leon, who was scribbling his notes with a focused look, his tongue peeking out of his lips just a little. He didn’t look like a creep, after all. He was just… determined.

“Okay, fine,” Alec whispered, “I’ll ask him. But you owe me one.”

Alec looked in Magnus’ direction and sighed. The last thing he needed was to invite someone else to his party. He had to be really clear with Leon, even if he already knew the guy wasn’t going to hear anything after _would you mind going to the party tonight?_

He saw Aline as she took the list from her backpack, and gave it a side glance. 

_Too nice to be true._

Did inviting someone you barely knew to your cat’s birthday party count as _too nice to be true_? 

Probably not much, but Alec couldn’t help but think about it anyway. He shook his head squeezing his eyes shut. He wasn’t making any sense. The list was bullshit and he was doing this just to be allowed to report it to the principal later.

Not that principal Dieudonné was probably going to do something about it, but Alec had to try nonetheless. 

“What now? I can hear you overthinking!” Aline hissed, looking down at her list.

“Nothing, I just don’t want to see that cursed thing on my desk.”

“You’re not fooling me, Alec. What is it?”

“I said it’s no-”

“ _Lightwood! Penhallow!”_ Alec flinched and looked up at the teacher, glaring at them. “Is there something you want to share with the class?”

“No sir, sorry sir,” Aline said.

Alec grabbed the list and threw it in his backpack, the last thing they needed was for the teacher to see it, and shook his head in confirmation. He hated to be the centre of attention.

“Then I’d suggest you to stop talking and start listening.”

“Yes, sir.”

At lunchtime Alec was already exhausted. He spotted his siblings in the cafeteria, and walked past Lily Chen waving at her after her enthusiastic greeting. Lily was quirky and sometimes invasive, but she was mostly nice. Aline didn’t like her very much, but Alec thought this had probably something to do with the fact she had made out with Helen at winter prom a few months earlier. 

“You look like shit,” Isabelle commented as soon as he sat down. 

“Well, thank you,” he groaned.

“What’s wrong bud?” Jace asked, trying to attack his mozzarella sticks with his fork and failing. 

He looked over scanning the room, there was no sign of Leon or Helen. 

He took a deep breath and said to his siblings “What if you want to ask someone to go somewhere but without making it weird or nuanced? Like, just bros asking bros kinda thing, but without saying it out loud because that would be weird, wouldn’t it? A signal that says _this is not what you think it is_ , a subtle signal but still... clear.”

“Alec, is there something you want to tell us?” Izzy asked carefully. 

“I completely get what you’re trying to say!” Jace said with a proud grin. “I always think about it too. I’ll think about various signals during the next lessons and show you when we get home. Like, one signal is for _‘there is a teacher creeping up behind you and you should put your phone away,’_ right? But there should be a different signal for _‘the teacher is creeping up behind you, but I have a diversion ready.’_ That just makes sense.”

Alec raised his brows in confusion, when he heard a heavy forced cough. He turned briefly and saw Aline gesturing towards the door and making him a thumbs up. 

“Oh no,” Alec whined, seeing finally Leon and Helen coming in the cafeteria. He stood up, and Isabelle and Jace observed him with a worried look as he walked through the room and stopped in front of the two.

“Alec!” Leon cheered, and Alec already wished to be swallowed whole by the school floor. 

“Lightwood,” Helen greeted him dryly. She didn’t like him very much. It was Jace’s fault, at the beginning of the year Jace had pranked the members of the school choir and Alec had tried to stop him, getting caught in the process. Since then Helen had suspects over him to be a serial prankster, and he never told her the truth to protect his brother. 

Leon glared at her for her impoliteness. 

“Hey, um, there is going to be a party tonight at Magnus’ and he told me to ask some friends to come so…”

“Of course I’ll come with you! We’re going to have a lot of fun! Honestly Alec, I don’t know why took you so long to understand-” Leon started, his face bright with happiness. 

“I’m not asking you specifically, I’m asking the both of you. You and Helen,” Alec added quickly. Leon’s smile faltered.

“And why would you? Is this a prank?” Helen asked glaring at him. 

Leon groaned. “Oh my God Helen, stop with this prank thing! He’s not like that!”

“Because Magnus said to bring some _friends_ ,” Alec said, with particular emphasis on the last word.

“But we are not friends,” the girl said.

“ _Helen,_ ” Leon hissed, “ _shut up_ ”.

“Who’s going to be there?” Helen asked, and Alec had the impression she was looking in Aline’s direction.

“Well, obviously Magnus is going to be there, it’s his place,” he said. He had no idea about who was invited. He knew there was going to be Magnus and that was enough for him, he didn’t even ask himself who else could be there. “Oh, and Aline. And me of course. And probably other people.”

He stayed silent after that, because he really had no idea about the other guests. 

It seemed to be enough because Helen rolled her eyes and finally said, “Fine, we’ll think about it.”

“Don’t listen to her. Of course we’re coming,” Leon assured him with a wide smile.

“Great, um, I gotta go. Cool. That’s what _friends_ do, right?” he said, and without waiting for an answer he hurried back to his table. Aline smiled at him through the room. 

“Did you really just asked Leon Verlac out?” Isabelle asked in shock as soon as he sat down.

“Did you really just made plans for tonight that don’t involve the concert with Clary?” asked Jace with a frown.

“Not really, and yes,” Alec said, shrugging.

“Oh Alec,” Isabelle sighed. “What the hell are you trying to do?”

“I’m helping Aline with Helen, that’s all,” he whispered, rolling his eyes. 

“And you’re doing that asking someone you don’t like out?” Izzy asked.

“And you’re doing that ditching your own brother?” Jace added.

Alec groaned. “I didn’t ask him out _ask him out_ , I just asked as a friend. And Jace, stop whining, you still have Isabelle.”

“Yes, but I need _you_! You are better at praising me in front of strangers! Izzy gets bored in no time with the telling of my great adventures!”

Alec leaned on the table to get closer to his siblings. “The party is at Magnus’ I need to go this time.”

“Should I remind you that you’re taking someone else to this party?” Izzy asked.

“I’m not taking anyone. I asked Leon and Helen both as _friends._ ”

“Sure, Jan,” she said, giving her the Lightwood Disapproval Look™.

That evening, Alec found himself at Aline’s house for dinner, because she wanted to be with him when they got dressed. He liked to be at the Penhallows’, he liked his aunt Jia, and he was familiar there, but he didn’t like to let others chose what he had to wear. 

When it was almost time, Alec could not be talked into anything more elaborate than a dark striped hoodie under a loose-fitting leather jacket with a few too many zippers, but at least there were no holes in sight and Aline had to let go.

He then proceeded to be bored as hell while Aline decided between a peach and a rose pink dress – they all looked the same colour to him, he had always hated fashion – and when she finally chose the latter he drove them to Magnus’.

“I hope they’re not coming,” he hissed, jumping off his car. The place was already crowded, they were a bit late. He didn’t like parties.

“We’re here for them, Helen and Leon. Well, mostly Helen, but they’re coming together so…”

“I don’t know why I’m following you in this,” he muttered. 

“Because you are the best cousin in the world and you wanted to see Magnus tonight,” she said cheerfully, approaching the house. 

It was huge. Everybody knew the Banes were rich, but nobody knew the real reason behind it. Magnus’ father was a shady man with a lot of money and no apparent reason for it, and was also always out of town, leaving his son alone all the time. Alec could relate. Robert and Maryse were always abroad for work, they were diplomats, so it was hard to have them home. The last time Alec had seen them in the face was ten days earlier, before their current trip to Milan.

At least Alec had Jace and Izzy. Magnus was alone, even if Alec suspected that Raphael Santiago spent more time at Magnus’ place then his own.

The door was half open, so they pushed it and finally got inside. There was a lot of people, most of them attended some of their classes, but a few Alec had never seen before. 

“I’ll look around to see if they’re already here,” Aline said excited. 

“I’ll go hide somewhere in case they’re already here,” echoed Alec.

His cousin disappeared in the crowd and he looked for the least crowded space he could find, everyone either dancing with the hands on someone else, making out, or flirting. He looked around wearily to see if he could spot Leon, ready to go in the opposite direction – and to find Magnus, but he didn’t admit it even to himself yet.

He wandered around for a while when he finally found a corner were there was only a boy with a grumpy frown and biker boots, not involved in any sexual activity, legs crossed and leaning against the wall. Alec came over and leaned on the wall beside the boy, when he finally recognised him. Raphael Santiago, Magnus’ bestfriend and major pain in the ass. 

He saw Raphael texting, _PARTIES WERE INVENTED TO ANNOY ME. THEY FEATURE MY LEAST FAVORITE THING: PEOPLE, ALL INTENT ON MY LEAST FAVORITE ACTIVITY: SOCIAL INTERACTION._

“I don’t really like parties either,” Alec said sympathetically, trying to make small talks.

“ _No hablo ingles,_ ” Raphael said without missing a beat.

“Oh, come on. Really?”

“Worth a shot,” said the boy.

Alec considered going away. The boy wrote another text to a contact he had saved as _RF_.

_I JUST WANT TO GO HOME AND SLEEP._

Alec decided to keep going with the small talks. Maybe, if Leon saw him with someone else, he would leave him alone. “I get shy when there are strangers too,” Alec said.

“I’m not shy,” Raphael sneered. “I just hate everyone around me and everything that is happening.”

“Well.” Alec shrugged. “Those feel like similar things sometimes.”

Before Raphael could say anything back, a good looking curly haired girl Alec had never seen before came stumbling and obviously drunk towards them, tripping on her feet. 

Alec caught her before she fell and she smiled up at him. “Good reflexes!” she said brightly. “Also great arms. Would you be interested in a night of tumultuous forbidden passion?” 

“Um, I’m gay.” Alec said. He wasn’t used to say it out loud, but he was out now and was trying to do it more and more often to start feeling normal.

The girl shrugged and then looked at Raphael, and her face lit up. Alec could relate, he used to have a crush on him when he was twelve too – and felt deeply ashamed of it whenever he thought about it – the boy was good looking and had a bad boy aura that could catch the eye. “What about you, darling?”

“I’m not gay,” said Raphael. “I’m not straight. I’m not interested.”

“Your sexuality is _not interested_?” Alec asked curiously.

Raphael nodded and said, “That’s right.”

“Wait,” said the girl suddenly. “I recognize you. You’re Raphael Santiago, Magnus’ friend! I’ve heard of you.”

Raphael made a gesture of dismissal. “Have you heard I like it when people go away?”

She looked unbothered by his comment and looked for something in her bag. She grinned and took what looked like a lipstick, then offered him his arm. “Can I have your number?”

Raphael groaned and accepted the lipstick, then wrote _LEAVE ME ALONE_ bright red on her arm. 

“I’m never washing my arm again!” the girl cheered, and ran away, unsteady on her feet. 

Raphael’s phone screen lit up. 

_RF: DO YOU NEED ME TO PICK YOU UP?_

The boy typed quickly, _NO I’LL JUST STAY HERE SO I’LL COMPLAIN TO MAGNUS LATER._

Alec had just decided to go somewhere else when a guy from his lab class, another of Magnus’ friends, visibly drunk, stumbled in their direction with unfocused eyes.

“Elliot,” Raphael said dryly. “You disgust me.”

“I threw up in the kitchen’s sink,” the boy slurred. 

Alec made a face. 

“And why is that supposed to be my problem?” Raphael asked.

“Magnus says you have to take care of it,” Elliot said not without difficulty. “Cause it’s you who wanted me to come.”

“This insinuation is unacceptable,” said Raphael. “I wished no one to come, not even myself, least of all you.”

Aline came as a saviour. “Alec! Alec we have an emergency!”

Alec sighed in relief. “What’s up?”

“We have a code red!” she yelled, grabbing his arm and pulling him away. 

“Aline, what-” but when his cousin stopped dead on her feet Alec saw them too, in the middle of the room. 

Of course, the first one he saw was Magnus, as always. For a moment, like every time he spotted him in a room, everyone else ceased to exist. Alec had never seen him out of school, and if in class he always managed to look fancy even in the early hours of the morning, tonight he looked absolutely stunning. 

Alec had never liked _extra_ , he wasn’t a fan of big gestures or flashy looks, but there were no words that could describe Magnus better than _extra_ and he wore it wonderfully well. 

He was smiling bright, his hair spiked up and glittering gold, his unique green and golden eyes adorned with purple makeup, the same purple of his shining jacket. Under it, wore a black t-shirt with the words _ONE MILLION DOLLARS_ picked out across the chest in sequins, and jeans that hung low on his hips, low enough that Alec had to look away, down at his own shoes. Which were boring. He was lighting up the whole room, and Alec felt his mouth go dry. 

“Alec...? Alec? _Alec_!” Aline’s yelp snapped him back to focus.

“Huh?”

“Huh what? You have to do something!” 

He looked at the group again in confusion, trying to avoid Magnus not to end up like the minute earlier. There was Catarina, a worrying pale girl from senior year that was pretty close to Magnus, and Lily Chen, who was standing dangerously close to Helen, with a flirty smile.

“You have to do something! How am I supposed to see if she’s ‘ _too nice to be true_ ’ or if she ‘ _wants to be with me alone_ ’ if Lily keeps hovering over her like a hawk?”

“But I don’t know what to do!” Alec protested. He wanted to think about what to say before showing up in front of Magnus, he didn’t want to fuck it up for the umpteenth time. 

Suddenly, Helen laughed at some joke and Lily started to pass an arm around her shoulders when Aline pushed Alec with all her strength towards them. He stumbled forward and interrupted whatever they were saying, bumping into Catarina.

“Um, hi,” he said, trying not to panic.

“Ouch,” Catarina said, glaring at him.

“I’m sorry, I tripped,” he said weakly, with the already lost hope he wasn’t flushed. 

“Alexander,” Magnus said, his smile widening. “You came.”

“Looks like I did,” he said, uncomfortably scratching the back of his head. “Um, Lily, can we go somewhere else to… talk?”

He felt the weight of Aline’s gaze on his back. 

Lily Chen tilted her head in confusion. They were in good terms but have never been close. “Can’t we talk here?” she asked.

“No, I want to speak to you in private,” he blurted out, with the deep certainty he was making a fool of himself. 

“You’re really cute Alec, but didn’t you come here with Verlac? I’ve got no problem with that but I don’t want him to come after me if we-” 

“ _What?_ ” Alec yelped. “No I… I didn’t mean it that way. And I didn’t come with him like that anyway, he’s just a friend of mine. You were there Helen, right?”

Helen looked at him unimpressed. “Yeah, kinda,” she said. 

Alec had the impression that Magnus was sighing in relief, but couldn’t be sure. 

“It isn’t what he’s been saying,” Catarina commented. “He’s looking for you, by the way.”

“Um, I’ll have to deal with it later,” Alec said. “Now, if you excuse me…”

Lily nodded and they walked away, Alec glanced a look back and saw Aline approaching the group, looking shy but determined. Helen was smiling welcoming at her, Magnus was looking at him with a strange look and Catarina looked mostly confused.

“What is it, Lightwood? Spill,” Lily asked, and Alec could nothing but stare at a loss of words.

“You’re scaring me. Maybe I should ask Raphael for help.”

The shocking thought that someone could look up to Raphael for help out of all people suddenly cleared his mind.

“Oh, no, that won’t be necessary. Listen, I’ll be straight with you,” Lily chuckled at the words and Alec glared, “No puns intended,” he sighed. “Aline wants to make a move on Helen and you’re on her way.”

He probably wasn’t supposed to tell the truth, but he wasn’t good at lying – Jace and Izzy had always been better at it than him – and he felt like Aline couldn’t complain since she didn’t have a plan herself.

“Woah, okay tiger!” Lily said, with a smirk “you could have just started with that, you scared me!”

“Okay? Just _okay_? Aren’t you mad? I thought you were trying to hit on her earlier.”

The girl scoffed. “This is a party. I’ve already made out with six girls, four boys, and a nerd with weird sunglasses whose gender I’m unsure about. Pretty sexy for a nerd in weird sunglasses, though. If I can’t make my moves on Blackthorn I’m sure I’ll find someone else.”

Alec was baffled but he wasn’t one to judge, so he didn’t. “Well, thank you then.”

“If you want my opinion, I think Blackthorn likes her back,” Lily said, and Alec noticed they were now playing beer pong together in a corner of the living room, their opponents two last year’s Alec didn’t know the names of. 

“I hope so,” Alec sighed, looking in their direction. They seemed to be having fun.

“So, you weren’t trying to hit on me, you don’t want to hit on Verlac… is there someone you think is hot enough for you in here?” she casually asked, leaning on the wall with a smirk. Lily was a major gossiper, that was one of the few things Alec knew about her. 

“Well, Magnus’ hot” he replied instantly, without thinking. 

“What?” Lily asked.

“ _What_?” echoed Alec. 

“Did you just say-” the girl started, but Alec was already elbowing the crowd trying to get as far away as possible. 

His plans crashed as soon as he heard a familiar “hey, here you go!”

Leon was waving at him and walking to him in a fast pace. _Shit. Shit shit shit shit,_ he thought, looking for a way out.

“I was starting to think you were trying to avoid me!”

“Now, that would be crazy, wouldn’t it? It’s me who asked you to come!” Alec muttered, trying to smile at him. 

“I know, crazy right? Listen, when the party’s over you could come to my place,” Leon suggested. “I could show you a good time.” He winked. “Please, tell me you get the implications this time,” he then added.

“I do,” Alec sighed. “Listen, you are an okay guy Leon, really, but I think you heavily misunderstood what I-”

“Hey, darling,” a low voice whispered in Alec’s ear. He tensed. He looked up and saw Magnus, smiling brightly at him, and felt an arm passing around his waist and pulling him close. “I’ve been looking for you. Who’s this?”

Alec was pretty confident his face was now a bright shade of purple.

“I’m Leon Verlac,” the boy said, outraged. “We go to the same English class!”

“I don’t remember asking you to come,” Magnus said dryly.

“Alec did,” Leon said with a proud grin.

“Oh, yes,” Magnus muttered, “I told him he could bring some friends.”

Alec nodded, his mouth suddenly too dry to talk. 

“Can we have a word dear?” Magnus asked him, and Alec nodded again. “Excuse us, Leonard.”

“Leon!” the boy yelled after them as they walked away. 

Magnus let go of him as soon as they were far enough, and Alec finally remembered how to breath. 

“Sorry,” Magnus said, “it looked like you could use a little help. Hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

 _He’s too nice to be true,_ Alec immediately thought, and felt immediately ashamed of it.

“Thank you, I appreciated it,” he managed to say instead.

“I’m going to take something to drink,” said Magnus, “care to join me?”

 _Wants to spend time with you alone,_ Alec thought again. He felt the back of his neck heat up.

Now that he was looking closer _– dangerously closer_ , Alec noted – he could see Magnus looked a bit tipsy, his eyes shining and a bit unfocused. 

“Of course, I mean, I don’t mind, I mean, yeah, why not!” 

Magnus laughed and shook his head, making golden glitter fall from his hair to his shoulders. “You’re funny, you know that?”

“Nobody told me that before, actually,” Alec said. 

“Well, they should have,” Magnus dismissed as they got in the kitchen. “Stay away from the sink, a friend of mine threw up in it,” he said. 

Lily Chen was making out with a boy with dreadlocks and broad shoulders near the kitchen counter. She looked like she was recovering from Helen’s loss pretty well. 

Magnus walked straight to the fridge and took a beer can. “Want some?” he asked casually, handing it to him.

“Can’t,” he answered. “Designated driver.” 

It was true, but it also came in handy. He was already fucking it up enough without alcohol.

“You don’t have to drive all the way home, you know,” Magnus said, as he opened the can and started sipping. He looked down at him with half his face hidden behind the beer. “My father isn’t home and I have a lot of space,” he said casually, like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Are you asking me to spend the night?” Alec asked, trying to sound less shocked than he was.

“Well,” said Magnus with a shrug, “I don’t want my guests to get bored, especially when they’re this good looking. You deserve a bit of fun. Also, I have a really big bed.”

Alec used all his willpower not to choke on the spot, gulping loudly. _Proposes that you be roommates and sleep in the same bed._

He stayed silent, staring at him with wide eyes for a moment. 

“Well?” Magnus asked, his tone unwavering.

“I’d love to,” he said, and when Magnus’ eyes lit up he hated to say the words that followed, “but I have to bring Aline home, too. I’m sorry.”

Magnus looked completely unaffected by the words, except for his eyes that seemed to turn a little colder. 

“Oh, _Aline_!” he deflected, “that’s how she’s called! I’m bad at names.”

“Um, my name is Alec,” Alec said, looking down at his feet. 

“Yes,” Magnus said slowly, and Alec missed the flash of affection coming from his eyes as he did. “Your name I remember.”

Alec heard him sip from the beer can and felt the sudden urge to fill the silence. “Where’s the cat?” it was the first thing that came to mind. 

Magnus shrugged. Alec had to look at Lily and the big guy making out because his gaze was starting to land on Magnus’ lips too often. 

“Probably upstairs, Chairman doesn’t like people,” he said, then leaned closer and Alec had to look up at him again. “Can I trust you with a secret?”

Alec didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes,” he said. 

_Directs the conversation into intimate matters,_ a voice in his mind whispered. 

“It’s not his birthday, I made it up. A friend of mine asked me to go listen to an awful concert to meet her boyfriend, and I had no intention to, so I had to think about something.”

“This sounds strangely familiar,” said Alec with an half smile. 

He felt blood rushing in his ears as he thought he had already checked four out of six spots on his list. More than a half. He heard him telling Aline that it was all bullshit in his mind, like a faint echo, it seemed a life ago. 

“Why did you ask us to come? We’re not that close,” he said then, holding his breath. 

“Because I like you,” Magnus immediately replied. 

Alec blinked a few times, then bit his lower lip, trying to think about what to say next. “Are you trying to flirt with me?” he asked, ready to smash his head on the fridge until he bled out in case he was wrong.

“I’ve been doing it for a while,” whispered Magnus, “but I appreciate that you finally noticed.”

“I was trying to flirt with you as well,” said Alec.

“You have a very personal way to do it, then,” Magnus said with a smile. He stepped forward and Alec found himself with the back on the wall. 

Magnus put the can down on the nearest table without breaking eye contact. 

Alec swallowed. “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

“Don’t worry about that, we’re going to fix it just now,” Magnus said, leaning in. He was barely an inch taller than Alec, which rarely happened, and his fingers were under his chin, tilting his face up gently. 

_Is this happening?_ A voice in Alec’s mind panicked. _Like, for real?_

The next thing Alec knew was that they were kissing. He felt warm lips against his, the feeling new and intoxicating, and he gasped, his eyes falling shut.

Magnus used his little gasp to part his lips and explore his mouth, and Alec felt so hot all over, holding into him and pulling Magnus closer, that he feared he was going to faint on the spot. 

He felt Magnus’ ringed fingers in his hair, and was just about to pass out, a faint whine escaping his throat immediately swallowed by Magnus, when he heard a girl clear her voice loudly.

“ _Magnus,_ ” someone said in annoyance. 

Alec felt Magnus let out a frustrated huff as he let go of him, his eyes fluttering open.

“ _Lily,_ ” he said, his voice cold. “I hope you have a really valid reason for interrupting me.”

“ _Magnus_ ,” the girl repeated, outraged. “We can’t have two making out sessions in the same room, you have to find somewhere else to go.”

“Shall I remind you that this is _my_ kitchen?”

“I’d rather leave honestly,” Alec commented.

Magnus glared at Lily as to say _see what you’ve done?_ but reluctantly nodded. He took Alec’s hand – which sent a chill down Alec’s spine – and pulled him back to the living room, his eyes looking for an empty spot.

“You said you had a _very big_ bed,” Alec suggested, but Magnus shook his head. “Oh no, that would be a huge mistake, trust me.”

Alec frowned. “ _Why_?”

Magnus had the decency not to laugh at his face for his eagerness.

“Because I think one first for you today is enough, and I don’t trust me with you on my bed,” he said with a wicked smile. 

Before Alec could say anything back, he heard a shriek that made him flinch. “ _Alec!_ We won!”

Aline was running towards him, definitely half the way to being drunk, dragging a flustered Helen with her by the wrist. 

“Fantastic,” he commented, feeling Magnus’ hold on his hand tighten. 

“You were right, I didn’t need the list. It was complete bullshit, I just have to tell her!”

“Oh yeah, I told you,” Alec muttered. “Thay list was nonsense, really. Who would use it for real? Ha! Not me, absolutely not.”

“What is he talking about? What list?” Helen asked. 

Aline turned to face Helen and looked at her in the eyes. She took a deep breath and said “I know this place. It’s nothing special. Just a little café near the school. Maybe we can hang out there sometime. I mean, whenever you have time. If you like.” She glanced around. “That invitation was for Helen, by the way. Not you two.”

“I get it,” said Magnus, who finally did. 

Helen looked at her squarely with a huge grin. Alec and Magnus tried to pretend they were somewhere else. “If you mean it like I think you mean it,” said Helen. “If you mean a real date. With me.”

“Yes,” said Aline, clearly abandoning any idea of playing it cool. “Yes, yes, yes, a real date. You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, Helen Blackthorn. And you play beer pong like poetry. So let’s get coffee, or dinner, or we could go on a weekend trip to Vegas. Wait, no, or I could say something more suave and sophisticated than that. I’ll read some romantic books and learn to phrase things better. I’m so sorry.” She looked mortified.

“Why are you sorry?” Helen asked. “I liked that.”

“Yeah?” asked Aline. “Do you want to go eat something now?”

“Well, no,” said Helen.

Aline looked dismayed. “I messed it up. When did I mess it up?”

“I just meant,” Helen said hastily, “let’s get lunch instead, tomorrow. That way, we can get back home and clean up. I’m sweating, tired and beyond tipsy.”

“Oh.” Aline paused. “All right. Fantastic! I mean, okay.” 

She began to outline elaborate plans for lunch. Alec did not know how she was going to pull together a jazz combo in a day, but he was happy that she looked so happy – her eyes shining, her cheeks flushed with excitement. Helen must have thought she looked more than just happy, because when Aline paused for breath, Helen leaned over and kissed her.

Alec cleared his throat and stared at his feet again, trying to give them space. 

“I hope it works out for them,” he whispered, and felt Magnus squeeze his hand. 

“Yeah, cute couple,” he agreed with a small nod. 

When Helen and Aline finally let go a minute later – minute that lasted half an hour for Alec – Aline poked at his shoulder and said “Let’s go Alec, I need my beauty sleep!”

“No, you don’t,” said Helen, her cheeks flushed as well.

Aline cooed and Alec made a face. He heard Magnus snort, probably looking at his reaction. 

“Goodnight, guys,” Aline said, her smile was so big Alec feared she was going to have a paralysis. “Thanks for inviting us, Magnus.”

“It’s been my pleasure,” he said, then he looked at Alec and grinned. “ _Really._ ”

“Good night, and tell Leon that I… died or something,” Alec told Helen, and when he tried to untangle his fingers from Magnus’ he didn’t let him, and pulled him closer one last time instead, making their lips collide messily once again. 

Alec’s hands quickly ran to Magnus’ back, he felt Magnus’ hands on his hips keeping him close, and just as he was about to get lost in him again he heard “I really did _not_ want to see this.”

“Nobody forced you to watch, Raphael,” Magnus said, as he let go, with an heartfelt eyeroll.

“Magnus, Helen, Raphael,” Alec said, to say goodbye. “Gotta go.”

“Don’t say my name, don’t talk to me, I hate you,” Raphael replied, his eyes flying back down where his phone screen was lit up. 

Aline pushed Alec out as they started arguing, and he nearly tripped down the stairs. 

As soon as they were out, Leon Verlac appeared out of nowhere, behind Magnus’ back. “Hey,” he said. “Where’s Alec?”

Helen covered her face with her hands and sighed. Her friend really couldn’t get it.

“Alec’s gone,” Magnus said. “Also, we’re dating now so back off.” 

“Oh that’s even better! Me and Alec, you know, we were talking about making plans for later.” Leon went on, “you’d be very welcome to join us. We could do anything you like.” He winked. “ _Anything_.”

“Hmm,” said Magnus. “And who are you again?”

“Leon Verlac,” he said, a bit annoyed for having to introduce himself once again.

“Well, Leon Verlac,” Magnus drawled. “Keep dreaming.”

Aline sat down on the car seat, all sprawled up, and sighed. “Thank you,” she said, as Alec started the car. “This was the best party ever. And I wouldn’t have done it without you.”

Alec kept his eyes fixed on the road. He didn’t like to talk about feelings, but he felt particularly happy that night and he owed it to her,so he decided to say, “we’re already even. And I’m glad it turned out well for you two.”

“You’re my favourite cousin,” she said. “Don’t tell Izzy I said that.”

Alec smiled, his heart was still racing up in his chest and he felt numb. “Your secret is safe with me.”

He dropped Aline at home and drove slow and safe all the way to his place, unsuccessfully trying to suppress an excited grin. He wasn’t used to this, but he hoped it was going to be the new normal soon. Maybe it already was. 

He parked and jumped off the car whistling off tune. The lights were switched on in the living room, so Jace and Izzy had to be already back home. He checked his phone while looking for his keys to see if they texted him something, but what he found was an Instagram direct message instead.

_@iputthebinbane: I forgot to ask for your number_

_@iputthebinbane: We should go out for lunch tomorrow as well_

_@iputthebinbane: Drive home safely_

Alec looked down at his screen and smiled like he was sure was like an idiot. 

_@a.lightwood: At home now!_

_@a.lightwood: Sure Id like it :)_

He opened the door with the grin still on his lips. Grin that faded as soon as he entered the living room, where his siblings were sitting down on the couch, with death glares on their faces. One look was enough to understand something was really off. Alec felt a stab of worry in his chest, all the happiness gone in an instant. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, racing towards them. He looked at them in search of any sign of injuries but found none. They both looked disheveled but unharmed. “Jace? Izzy? What happened?”

“Alec,” Isabelle said, cold. “You owe us an explanation.”

“And it better be really good,” Jace added, “because if it’s not I’m seriously going to kill someone, and this time you’re not stopping me.”

“Kill someone? What?” Alec asked, worry mixing up with confusion.

“We found this in your room,” said Izzy, showing him a piece of paper. Alec felt relief wash over him. It was Aline’s list, the one he threw in his backpack that morning to hide it from the teacher.

“Why were you in my room anyway?” he asked, a little annoyed.

“I was out of PJs” Jace answered, clearly struggling to keep his tone steady and calm. “Seriously Alec. I need to know who gave you this, and then I’m gonna have a word with them. And note that with ‘ _a word_ ’ I mean a fist or two. And you can’t talk me into not doing it, so don’t you even try.”

“And then _we_ are _all_ going to have a word,” Isabelle added. “All of us. You know you have to talk to us about those things, Alec. You can’t be treated like that, it’s not fair, we are not going to accept it, even if you don’t want to make a big deal out of it, or if you don’t want to upset us, you have to understand that-”

“Hey, hey, hey! Stop that!” Alec interrupted. “This is a huge misunderstanding. Aline gave it to me, okay?”

Isabelle and Jace looked both baffled.

“Aline?” Jace asked, “why the hell _Aline_ should have-”

“Because Aldertree gave it to her when he went for an appointment.”

“Aldertree? Aldertree as the _school counselor_?” asked Isabelle in disbelief.

“Yeah. Aline was taking it as a joke but I was having none of that so I kept it and said I was going to report it to the principal on Monday. Not that he’s going to do anything about it anyway.”

That wasn’t the full story, but his siblings didn’t have to know exactly what happened, did they?

“Oh,” Isabelle whispered. “So you didn’t hide it from us because you were ashamed of it.”

“No,” Alec said, trying to sound patient. “I didn’t tell you because it had nothing to do with me in the first place and because I was already going to take care of it.”

“Well, that does make me feel a lot better. I’m too tired for a fight right now and I wasn’t going to wait until tomorrow,” Jace said with a yawn.

Alec felt his heart warm up thinking about his siblings ready to throw hands for him in the middle of the night, but he didn’t say that – enough talking about feelings for today. 

“You’re impossible,” Isabelle chuckled, tilting her head back on the backrest and closing her eyes. 

Alec opened his mouth to reply when he saw something deep red peeking out of the dress’ neckline. “Is that a hickey?” he asked, instead. “ _Izzy,_ is that a hickey?”

Isabelle’s eyes widened. “Um, maybe?”

“Jace?” Alec asked for support.

“It is indeed a hickey,” Jace answered with a smug grin. “Isabelle enjoyed Clary’s best friend very much. The concert sucked, by the way.”

“Now now, you have to admit that Simon is the best of them. The singer was terrible, but overall I’ve heard worse. They even have groupies!”

“One,” Jace commented, “and she’s thirteen.”

“Small details,” Isabelle said. “Besides, we have to think about Alec. He’s the only single in the family now, we have to fix this.”

Alec shrugged. “I may have accidentally fixed it myself tonight...”

“What? Who?” asked Jace, immediately leaning forward on his seat in interest.

“Leon Verlac?” Isabelle suggested, with a shocked look.

“God, no!” Alec cried out. “It’s Magnus,” he quickly added with a low voice. 

“What? You have to tell us everything!” Izzy all but screamed, jumping on her seat.

“I really don’t. Actually, I think I’m going to bed.”

“Come on, spoilsport!” she pouted.

Jace looked at him and Alec saw a glimpse of understanding in his eyes. It had always been like that with his brother, they got each other in a way nobody else seemed to understand.

“Never fear, Izzy,” Jace said finally, getting more comfortable on the couch. “You need a good story? I’ll tell you one. No need for the boring tale of Alec getting laid.”

Alec rolled his eyes but smiled down at him, and Jace winked. 

“Really?” asked Isabelle, “and what would this ‘ _good story_ ’ be about?”

“Clary never really shuts up about Lewis, so I have a thing or two to say about the guy.”

Isabelle gasped and turned on her seat to face Jace, her face lit up in interest. Alec took advantage of her distraction to sneak out of the room. 

He checked his phone again and smiled to himself.

_@iputthebinbane: tomorrow, 11.30 AM, my place._

Alec closed his eyes and sighed. He liked the new normal. The new normal was good. He held his phone tighter for a moment then opened his eyes again and typed

_@a.lightwood: cant wait :)_


End file.
